au revoir mes amies

Tomorrow Hubby and I fly out with Mum and Dad to see my fabulous bro and his gorgeous gal, who are to be married in England in two weeks!!

as The Impressive Clergyman says,

"Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday. Mawage, that bwessed awangment, that dweam wifin a dweam... And wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva... "

or as The Grandpa says, "That day, she was amazed to discover that when he was saying "As you wish", what he meant was, "I love you."

or as Buttercup says,

"(we) are joined by the bonds of love. And you cannot track that, not with a thousand bloodhounds, and you cannot break it, not with a thousand swords."

Today we are dropping off all five kiddos to wonderful family and friends, who will watch over them until we see each other again.
Yup, my mother’s heart is now doing flips and flops.
But I know we will *all* have an a-m-a-z-i-n-g time, and each will have many memories to treasure.
If you get a mo, please say a little prayer for us and the dahlings…

The moment I wake up

Before I put on my makeup

I say a little prayer for you.

While combing my hair now,

And wondering what dress to wear now,

I say a little prayer for you.

Forever, and ever,

you'll stay in my heart

and I will love you

Forever, and ever,

we never will part

Oh, how I love you

conversely speaking

funny how the kids get all their *stuff* first, and mummy and daddy's wish lists seem to slide off the end of the budget..
yesterday, though, i realised that I hadn't bought myself any new shoes for about three years (oh, except my funky roxy camouflage jandals with suz in sydney last year..) and i *need* some good shoes to walk all around europe :o)
only four sleeps until *we fly out*...
(kate holds her breath)

so... hubby and I ventured into town and I tried on *every* pair of trainers in the store.
too small, too white, too padded, too flexible, not flexible enough.. (reminds me of a porridge story I know)

and then, i laid eyes on these converse all stars.
and immediately fell in love.
of course they fit perfectly.
chocolate-brown-and-pink.
my favourite colour combination.

i feel just like (guess the disney character), "wishing upon a star"..

starry starry night, paint your palette blue.. and red.. and gold..

wowee zowee..
we've finished sewing J10's *star quilt*...

it's taken *four weeks* to make it..
J10 blanket-stitched around three

of the seven stars,
using some of Auntie Mim's wool;
and Mummy sewed it all up
on Uncle Art's ancient sewing machine.
It's even got a *secret pocket* in

one of the squares.
YOU ARE.. MY SHINING STAR!!!

as you wish...

"The Princess Bride is the BEST. MOVIE. EVER. Throwing out Princess Bride quotes is the best way to find kindred spirits. If they laugh and finish the quote then friendship is possible. If they just look at you blankly then don't even try." (Sally)

I've finally found it: the ultimate quiz...

hakuna matata

we've had such fun with pumbaa and timon over the last couple of months, and now it's time for them to go home...

twenty-first birthday photo opportunity..

M4: "Look, Mum, I've got

my chicken little suit on!!"
(frightening.. it's actually P.J. trousers all

s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d

up to make the *chicken wings*)

self portrait

I got my annual hair

cut'n'colour today !!!!!

..feeling a bit gorgeous lol

chocolate fudge cake

J10 was up before the crack of dawn, desperate to make the chocolate fudge slice that he'n'the boys made at kids club last night. The other brothers raced out to help.. and lick the bowl.. and everyone was amazed that you "cook it in the fridge" !!!






Chocolate Fudge Cake

1 packet wine biscuits, crushed
add 125g butter, melted
add 1 tablespoon cocoa,
1/2 tin sweetened condensed milk,
3/4 cup coconut and mix well.
press into lined tin, ice with

chocolate icing:
blend together
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon cocoa
a little water

and refrigerate for half an hour until set
(or until you can't stand waiting any longer and just *have* to sample it for breakfast)

COLD TURKEY

*s-m-a-s-h*
I hope things really do come in threes.

#1 It started yesterday when hubby made the dash for freshly roasted coffee beans, but the shop was shut. Only other option: starbucks. He forgot that Mum and Dad had just brought our coffee grinder back, so got the chick to grind the beans for our espresso machine.
Hubby arrived home and happily produced the offering. Unfotunately the beans were ground too fine, and the coffee couldn't come through the machine. So I phoned starbucks straight away, and the nice lady apologised and offered to courier some fresh coffee out by tomorrow. Can my addiction wait that long??

#2 I looked over at the espresso machine (which, incidentally, I had been singing the praises of just last week, when my friend Nik asked me if I'd ever replace it with a real italian job? Oh, no, I'd said) ..and I noticed that water was leaking out of the bottom of the machine.. I looked inside and realised that a part had snapped inside, where the water reservoir fits. The screws had perhaps been too tightly fitted during manufacture, and now the little-black-thingy had broken.

So I got up this morning and phoned the 0800 helpline, and explained about the broken machine, thinking that it'll be a wee while to replace the broken part, and perhaps I could get my espresso addiction under control by weaning first to french pressed coffee and then to herbal tea before our departure to Europe in two weeks??
but

#3 as I was putting away my large saucepan, I accidentally bumped my bodum coffee press onto the floor.
hence the *s-m-a-s-h*.

I feel a caffeine deprivation headache coming on..

i know a girl.. a girl called p-a-r-t-y.. PARTY GIRL !!!!!

R13 had such a fun *pink* and *purple* birthday party today. we had the girlfriends over and ate and danced and made bead bracelets, and played pass the parcel, and the chocolate game, and had makeovers... and a whole lot of other fun stuff...

from pink princess to *punk princess*

the party-girls gave R13 a makeover.

hair (violet vixen rinse) and make-up !!!

*sheesh* that's my babygirl

mum, let's make a grass skirt. all we need is plastic grass.

that FINGERTIPS programme has a *lot* to answer for. it's on morning telly, and M4 and S8 watch it avidly whenever they can twist my arm up behind my back to turn it on. from dinosaur rubbish bins.. to interior designing with your own painty-footprints.. to grass skirts, you can make anything.
er, right.

well, we didn't have a stash of "plastic grass" just lion around yesterday morning, so we had to steal some of D16's newspaper delivery extras.. and created our own kiwi-style-dancin-costume, which got worn all day.. to ten pin bowling, to the sister's birthday party at the park, and nearly to bed. it's on again bright and early this morning.

charlie's angels

the birthday girl "Natalie" with "Dylan" (left) and "Alex" (right)
frightening, *i* have a photo of *me* doing this with girlfriends at my thirtieth..

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROOZA !!!!!!!!!!!!!

babygirl, you’ve been counting the sleeps for i-don’t-know-HOW-long..
far out. our poppet. so beautiful. peaches-and-cream complexion. rosebud lips. you’ve always looked so angelic when you’re asleep..
and you’ve woken up this morning and you’re a teenager !!!
happy thirteenth, tweety.

birthday girl

yep, it's my day. far out. thirty seven today. have had a *smashing gorgeous* day. all-day sunshine and two birthday cakes and lots of laughter and love. feeling reflective about the date though. a little melancholy. a bit "ish". thirty five was such a milestone, you know? became an adult. reached the mid-life. took my extra earrings out. got my first tattoo. ha. now it's sliding a bit downhill. rehashing my youth. my twenties. perhaps it's just winter blues. gonna get some sunshine in two weeks. heading for the motherland. england. france. my brother's wedding.
gotta make some jewellery before then.

ok, S8 has just put wild thing on for me...

wild thing, you make my heart sing.

you make everything groovy.

wild thing, i think i love you.

right then, now i've got visions of hogman at school talent contests..

Ana banana

today it was wild and windy and wet and wintery.. and we travelled a little way up north to hang with the swampfoxes. what a cool day. sharing books, recipes, thoughts, hearts, dreams, and bowls of thick creamy pumpkin soup (it's definitely winter with all this soup consumption) and peachy-choc muffins. we just talked and ate and talked and played and talked and ate and played... and drank a LOT of espressos and cappuccinos.. loving it so much.
and we were gifted with a rainbow to guide us all the way home !!

here's the marshmallow princess (the prettiest-nearly-two-year-old-in-the-northern-sunny-bay) and her gorgeous mamma..

s-m-i-l-e..

un, deux, trois, et quatre...

the big boyz are all watching the FIFA World Cup highlights in the lounge, but D16 still manages to make up a game with M4 while they're viewing the games (who says lads can't multi-task??) ...

"un, deux, trois, quatre....."

"keep your legs straight!!!"

(so I can see the telly..)

happy birthday bro !!!!!

You are *so* fabulous!!!

and we're gonna see yas in..

three weeks!!!

wishing you a fabulous day,

and sending ya all our love...

ten o'clock on a saturday night...

nup, we're *not* out dancing the night away..
well, hubby and D16 are *out* watching the All Blacks - Ireland test (see, Deb, I'm a nearly-rugby-chick) at a mate's house..
and we have three cool lads about to go to sleep (fingers crossed) in the lounge... S8, Christopher and J10.


R12 is still awake too: drawing and listening to Harry Potter (again) in her room.... we are all going through a very-Harry-phase.. reading it, watching it, and listening to it. Perhaps we'll become literary geniuses by osmosis...

our very own "larry boy the super hero"

The world needs a hero!

But not just an ordinary hero,

noooooo.

A SPECIAL hero.

A SUPER hero.

I.......AM........THAT........HERO!!!!!!

They call me........ Larry Boy!!!

Wherever there is trouble,

I will be there!

Whenever a helpless vegetable calls out,

I will answer!

Evildoers beware!

You are no match for Larry Boy and his.....

SUPER SUCTION EARS!!!

You doubt? a demonstration.....

Je fais mes devoirs

so, what *does* D16 do all weekend in his "cupboard" ??
the blessed homework.
(methinks something must be due in on monday??)

dancing queen

.. you're in the mood for a dance

and when you get the chance..

You are the dancing queen,

young and sweet,

only seventeen

Dancing queen,

feel the beat

from the tambourine..

We had a fabulous Friday at the lovely Louise’s, the mommies played “beauty salons” with the girls (I had my nails painted: five fingers red gloss, five fingers blue-sparkles..) while the boys rarked it up outside.. then some of the kids went to see the horses, and some did paper-marbling.

For lunch, we dined on calzone stuffed with tomato-and-cheese, field mushrooms, red peppers and black olives (*so* yummy), and sushi.. and little chocolate puddings with hot chocolate sauce and cream.. and scones with jam and cream, and then (thankfully for our waistlines!!) one of da chicks cranked up the moozic and we had an impromptu dance party… all those seventies classics lol…

You can dance,
you can jive,
having the time of your life.

See that girl,
watch that scene,
dig in the dancing queen.

St Michael and the Dragon Festival !!!

This week we had our St Michael and the Dragon festival...

"Dragon slayers don your armour!

Dancers polish your shoes!

Gnomes heat your forges!

There’s a dragon to confront!!"

We spent all morning making biscuits, flax swords, comets and streamers, village houses, a dragon’s lair, the gnomes’ cave and the King’s throne. It was an all-singing, all-dancing afternoon. Here's the play we performed with each other:

Villagers:

Fierce is the dragon's might!

Desperate is our plight!

All are dismayed!

King:

We who on earth must dwell
Call on St Michael
To lend us his aid

St Michael:
Sparks from my sword I send,
Swift be the dragon's end.

Meteors:

Bright-gliding meteors curve through the night.

Michael's messengers, silent our flight.

Villagers:

See how St Michael answers our call.

Catch the bright falling stars, quick as they fall.

Forge their bright metal to breastplate and shield.

To heaven-sent weapons the dragon shall yield.

Gnomes:

We will work

With our will

With our strength

With our skill

With a clash

And a clang

On our anvils we'll bang

'til our armour shines bright!

Gnomes: (as they present the swords)
Help from on high men sought,
Magic the stars they caught.
Wisdom of ancient days
Lives in the swords we wrought.

Men:
Now we are guarded well, head, heart and hand.

We'll drive the dragon forth. Out of our land!

Listen while we tell the story:
Michael in all his glory.
Fought beside them in the field
Helped to make the dragon yield!

Men and Women:

The monster lies upon the ground,

In iron bands he's safely bound.

So for joy let's dance and sing,

Faster, faster around the ring.

All Give thanks to Michael,

Christ's right hand.

Who gave us strength to free our land.

To good the dragon's will we'll bend

And so redeem him in the end.

th' dudes

J10 and his mate Zac are waiting for da mommas to come and pick them up from drama class.. the *very cool* place to wait is sitting up above the door that leads to the street.. I'm thinking that this photo may make it to the cover of an album they make in a few years..???

quiz addiction..

You Are Ernie

Playful and childlike,

you are everyone's favorite friend -

even if your goofy antics get annoying at times.

You are usually feeling: Amused -

you are very easily entertained

You are famous for: Always making people smile.

From your silly songs to your wild pranks,

you keep things fun.

How you live your life: With ease.

Life is only difficult when your

friends won't play with you!

I tried this quiz *three times* and got the same answer.. I must have spent too long over the three-day-weekend with hubby, cos this is *definitely* more HIM than ME.. except the friends part!!!

S8 is Ernie too (no surprises there)!!

the latest *party trick*

yep, that's a *pen* wedged firmly in S8's toothless grin....
the tooth fairy is completely bankrupt.

magnetics

J10 spends h-o-u-r-s making stuff from little magnetic sticks and balls.

this one, invented this morning is called "the amazing pyramid"

construction

sheesh, R12 thinks she hasn't got a *maths brain* ???
this is a-m-a-z-i-n-g!!!!!
(cool photo too, baby)

kid's-eye views of the world

R12's photo of the late afternoon sun along the beach, surfside, today.


J10's photo of his "dragon with wings", a sand and seaweed construction.

making shoo-shi

D16 and I decided to make some

smoked-chicken-and-mesclun-leaves sushi for lunch..

so he helped M4 roll some.

R12 and S8 had a go too....

.. it looks and tastes really yummy!!